In an effort to save cash, desperate homeowners are neglecting maintenance work around the house, but they risk much bigger bills due to problems further down the line, figures have shown.

According to the AA Home Emergency Response Service, 18.5million Britons - or 39 per cent - have delayed home repairs or tried to fix things themselves in order to save money.

But problems caused by delaying ongoing repairs or maintenance hit one in five and resulted in a collective bill of £1.2billion last year or almost £400 on average.

DIY: More people are cutting back on home repairs or undertaking work they would usually pay somebody to do

The avoidance comes as struggling households continue to face soaring bills which deter them paying for jobs around the home.

Energy
bills have doubled in ten years and since the start of this year, the
monthly fuel bill for a two-car family has already risen by £5.84.

But there is a downside to putting off the work. Around three million of those who cut back on repairs suffered problems as a direct result of neglecting what needed doing and the problem becoming worse.

This has left these unfortunate households with a collective bill of £1.2billion, with the average household spending £398 each trying to rectify problems.

In a bid to cut corners, the survey found that 14 per cent of
people have carried out DIY work on their property in the last year
which they would have previously paid a tradesman to do and 11 per cent
have relied on friends to help on a DIY project for free.

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The AA found that only five per cent of those who do have costs further down the line due to neglect or shoddy work were covered by their standard home insurance policy and 19 per cent had emergency response policies that covered the cost.

Around eight per cent of people delayed getting their boiler serviced and the same number avoided paying to have work done in the garden.

FINDING THE BEST HOME INSURANCE DEAL

Shop around, comparing as many prices and policies as possible. Insurance firms apply different underwriting criteria when assessing home cover quotes, hence the variation in premiums.

For example, if a postcode has a history of claims with one insurer, you'll receive a more expensive quote, but another insurer may have a good experience of that postcode, resulting in a cheaper quote.

Another five per cent have put off replacing or repairing a damaged window and four per cent have delayed mending a leaky or damaged roof.

Eight per cent of those who had delayed work suffered a home emergency such as a leaking roof or a broken down boiler because they did so, and seven per cent subsequently needed to call a tradesman to deal with it.

Of those who tried to economise on home maintenance, three per cent ended up having to call a tradesman out to rectify DIY work they had botched.

Tom Stringer, head of AA home emergency response, said: 'As the struggling economy continues to hit people in the pocket, more and more people are putting off home maintenance and are letting their homes get into a state of disrepair.

'Many homeowners seem to be mirroring the government’s drive for austerity but this can be a false economy as problems tend to get worse in the home if you leave them unresolved.'

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Cash-strapped homeowners put repairs on hold in order to try and save money